Abdelrahman is a native Egyptian Arabic speaker originally from Cairo, currently based in Utrecht, where he is concluding his PhD in molecular medicine. Alongside his academic work, he has spent two years teaching and coordinating an Arabic Taalcafé in Utrecht, and is one of the Egyptian dialect teachers at Taalhuis Amsterdam.

For Abdelrahman, language and storytelling go hand in hand. He currently hosts a live radio show called Sirah (سيرة, meaning “story” in Arabic), where he tells stories, interviews people with a migration background from Southwest Asia and North Africa (SWANA), and shares music from the region. He is also building an app to share the stories and heritage of the SWANA world through Arabic-language comics and cartoons.

He brings that same love for dialogue into the classroom, teaching not just the language but also Egyptian culture, history, and music that every Egyptian grows up knowing.